Interactive Display of Data Distributions

ABSTRACT

A method includes displaying, via a graphical user interface (GUI), a first graphical representation of a dataset on a display screen in communication with the data processing hardware, the first graphical representation representing a statistical summary of the dataset. The method includes receiving, via the GUI, an indication of a user interaction. In response to the received indication of the user interaction, the method includes displaying, via the GUI, a second graphical representation of the dataset on the display screen, the second graphical representation representing a plurality of statistical summaries of the dataset, each respective statistical summary of the plurality of statistical summaries computed for a respective time period of a plurality of time periods.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This U.S. Patent Application is a continuation of, and claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 120 from, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/111,861,filed on Dec. 4, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/982,720, filed on May 17, 2018, now U.S. Pat.No. 10,877,619, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application 62/507,696, filed May 17, 2017. The disclosuresof these prior applications are considered part of the disclosure ofthis application and are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to a system for an interactive display of datadistributions.

BACKGROUND

A box-and-whisker plot is commonly used in print form to showdistributions of data in a compact manner so one distribution can becompared to another. The plot is composed of a line or box with anindication of the median and second and third quartiles. The ends of theline generally represent the first and fourth quartiles. Electronicforms of a box-and-whisker plot typically follow the same format asprint versions. However, the electronic form allows the opportunity toincrease compactness while simultaneously increasing the amount ofinformation the plot communicates to the user.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the disclosure provides a method that includes displaying,by data processing hardware, a first graphical representation on ascreen in communication with the data processing hardware. The firstgraphical representation includes a box-and-whisker plot of a dataset.The method also includes receiving, at the data processing hardware, afirst interaction indication indicating a graphical user interaction bya user at a first interaction location on the first graphicalrepresentation. In response to the received first interactiveindication, the method includes displaying, by the data processinghardware, a second graphical representation on the screen based on thefirst interaction indication. The second graphical representationincludes a density plot of the dataset that may have a respective scaleequal to a corresponding scale of the box-and-whisker plot. The methodfurther includes receiving, at the data processing hardware, a secondinteraction indication indicating the graphical user interaction by theuser at a second interaction location on the second graphicalrepresentation. In response to the received second interactiveindication, the method includes displaying, by the data 0 processinghardware, an updated second graphical representation of the dataset onthe screen based on the second interaction indication.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing optional features. In some implementations, the firstgraphical representation includes an axis and the first interactionlocation includes a location within a threshold distance of the axis ofthe first graphical representation. The first interaction indication mayinclude a location of an on-focus event triggered on the first graphicalrepresentation. The first interaction indication may also include alocation of an input selection event triggered on the first graphicalrepresentation. The second interaction location includes a location onthe second graphical representation that is different than the firstinteraction location. Additionally, the second interaction indicationmay include a location of an on-focus event triggered on the secondgraphical representation. In some examples, the second graphicalindication includes a first graphical indication and the updated secondgraphical representation includes a second graphical indication that isdifferent than the first graphical indication. The second interactionlocation may include a location on the density plot and the density plotmay include a graphical indication of a data value corresponding to thesecond interaction location.

In some implementations, the method further includes receiving, at thedata processing hardware, a third interaction indication indicating thegraphical user interaction at a third interaction location on the secondgraphical representation. In response to the received third interactionindication, the method includes displaying, by the data processinghardware, the first graphical representation on the screen. In someexamples, the density plot includes a plurality of rectangles, whereeach rectangle has an identical area and each rectangle has a height anda width based upon the dataset.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a system for interactivelydisplaying data distributions. The system includes data processinghardware and memory hardware in communication with the data processinghardware, the memory hardware storing instructions that when executed onthe data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware toperform operations. The operations include displaying a first graphicalrepresentation on a screen in communication with the data processinghardware. The first graphical representation includes a box-and-whiskerplot of a dataset. The operations also include receiving a firstinteraction indication indicating a graphical user interaction by a userat a first interaction location on the first graphical representation.In response to the received first interactive indication, the operationsinclude displaying a second graphical representation on the screen basedon the first interaction indication. The second graphical representationincludes a density plot of the dataset that may have a respective scaleequal to a corresponding scale of the box-and-whisker plot. Theoperations further include receiving a second interaction indicationindicating the graphical user interaction by the user at a secondinteraction location on the second graphical representation. In responseto the received second interactive indication, the operations includedisplaying an updated second graphical representation of the dataset onthe screen based on the second interaction indication.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing optional features. In some implementations, the operationsalso include the first graphical representation including an axis andthe first interaction location including a location within a thresholddistance of the axis of the first graphical representation. Theoperations may also may include where the first interaction indicationincludes a location of an on-focus event triggered on the firstgraphical representation. In some examples, the first interactionindication includes a location of an input selection event triggered onthe first graphical representation. The second interaction location mayinclude a location on the second graphical representation that isdifferent than the first interaction location. The second interactionindication includes a location of an on-focus event triggered on thesecond graphical representation. The second graphical indication mayinclude a first graphical indication and the updated second graphicalrepresentation may include a second graphical indication that isdifferent than the first graphical indication. The second interactionlocation includes a location on the density plot and the density plotincludes a graphical indication of a data value corresponding to thesecond interaction location.

In some implementations, the operations further include receiving athird interaction indication indicating the graphical user interactionat a third interaction location on the second graphical representation.In response to the received third interaction indication, the operationsinclude displaying the first graphical representation on the screen. Thedensity plot may include a plurality of rectangles, where each rectanglehas an identical area and each rectangle has a height and a width basedupon the dataset.

The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are setforth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otheraspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the descriptionand drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example system for interactivelydisplaying data distributions.

FIGS. 2A-2C are schematic views of example user device displays.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic views of an example user interaction.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views of an example user interaction withan interaction point to update interaction data.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic views of another example user interaction.

FIGS. 6A-6D are schematic views of example data distribution displayswith progressive changes in detail.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an example density plot with bars.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic views of another example user interaction.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an example threshold of a datadistribution display.

FIGS. 10A-10C are schematic views of user interactions adding boundariesto a data distribution display.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view are example box-and-whisker plots.

FIGS. 12A-12F are schematic views illustrating an example transitionfrom a line to a curve.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart providing an example arrangement of operationsfor a method of interactively displaying data distributions.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of an example computing device that may beused to implement the systems and methods described herein.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A user may need to view and understand data from one or more datasetsquickly and accurately. A common way of viewing and comparing data is inthe form of box-and-whisker plots. However, other types of graphicalrepresentations of the same data can enhance understanding, such asdensity plots. Implementations herein are directed toward systems andmethods for interactively displaying data distributions to allow a userto quickly focus on relevant portions of the data accurately andcompactly.

Referring to FIG. 1 , in some implementations, an interactive datadistribution display system 100 displays graphical representations ofdata distributions (e.g., plots) 210, 210 a-n to a user 10 via a userdevice 110. The user device 110 may include, but is not limited to,desktop computers 110 a or portable electronic device 110 b (e.g.,cellular phone, smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant,etc.) or any other electronic device capable of sending, receiving, anddisplaying information. The user device 110 a, 110 b, includes dataprocessing hardware 112 a, 112 b (e.g., a computing device that executesinstructions), and non-transitory memory 114 a, 114 b and a display 116a, 116 b (e.g., touch display or non-touch display) in communicationwith the data processor 112. In some examples, the user device 110 aincludes keyboard 119. The data processing hardware 112 may execute adata distribution program 180 that allows the user 10 to view graphicalrepresentations 210 via the displays 116 a, 116 b. For example, a firstgraphical representation 210 a is a box-and-whisker-plot. Thebox-and-whisker-plot may include a box indicating the median and secondand third quartiles and lines indicating the first and fourth quartiles,or alternatively, merely an indication of the median with linesindicating the first and fourth quartiles.

The data processing hardware 112 bases the graphical representations 210on a dataset 190 that the data processing hardware 112 receives locallyfrom non-transitory memory 114 or via network 20 (e.g., from storage24). Optionally, the network 20 is connected to remote processinghardware 130 that includes data processor 132 and non-transitory memory134. In some implementations, the remote processing hardware 130provides the user 10 with the dataset 190 and/or the data distributionprogram 180. The user 10 may download 196 the data distribution program180 from the remote processing hardware 130, or alternatively, theremote processing hardware 130 provides a web-based application 198version of the data distribution program 180 (e.g., through a webbrowser).

Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the data processing hardware 112displays on the screen 116 of user device 110 the first graphicalrepresentation 210 a (e.g., a box-and-whisker plot) of dataset 190having axis 240 a (FIG. 2A). As shown in FIG. 2B, the data processinghardware 112 receives a first interaction indication 220 indicating agraphical user interaction by the user 10 at a first interactionlocation 230 on the first graphical representation 210 a. In response toreceiving the first interactive indication 220, the data processinghardware 112 displays on screen 116 of user device 110 a secondgraphical representation 210 b having axis 240 b (FIG. 2B). The secondgraphical representation 210 b is drawn from the same dataset 190 as thefirst graphical representation 210 a, and may include the same plot, butwith a different layer over the plot showing the line. The secondgraphical representation 210 b may be a density plot. The secondgraphical representation 210 b may have a respective scale that is equalto a corresponding scale of the first graphical representation 210 a.Referring now to FIG. 2C, the data processing hardware 112 receives asecond interaction indication 260 indicating the graphical userinteraction by the user 10 at a second interaction location 270 and inresponse, data processing hardware 112 displays an updated secondgraphical representation 210 c of the dataset 190 on the screen 116 ofthe user device 110. The updated second graphical representation 210 cis based on the second interaction indication 260 at the secondindication location 270.

The user 10 may continue interacting with the graphical representation(e.g., a second interaction indication, third interaction indication,etc.), all representative of the same graphical user interaction. Theupdated second graphical representation 210 c may update a graphicalindication 250, where the graphical indication 250 corresponds to theinteraction location. The graphical indications 250, as illustrated, maybe one or more graphical markings on the graphical representation (e.g.,the vertical line) or text. For example, the user 10 may continue tointeract with the graphical representation 210 c at any point along axis240 c, and graphical indications 250 will update to reflect thecorresponding interaction location of the dataset 190 represented by thegraphical representation 210 c. Additionally, the user 10 may switchback and forth between the box-and-whisker plot 210 a of FIG. 2A and thedensity plots 210 b, 210 c of FIGS. 2B and 2C. For example, afterdisplaying the updated second graphical representation 210 c, the dataprocessing hardware 112 may receive a third interaction indication fromthe user 10 that indicates the graphical user interaction at a thirdinteraction location. In response, the data processing hardware 112 mayagain display the first graphical representation 210 a on the screen116. For example, the user 10 may position a cursor or other focus eventa threshold distance away from the updated second graphicalrepresentation 210 c and/or provide a user input with a mouse, keyboard,or touch display (e.g., hover event, a selection event, a press and holdevent, etc.).

As previously discussed, the graphical representations 210 includes anaxis 240 a-c. In some examples, the interaction locations are limited towithin a threshold distance from the axis 240 a-c. For example, thefirst interaction location 230 may be required to be within thethreshold distance to the axis 240 a of the first graphicalrepresentation 210 a before the data processing hardware 112 respondswith displaying the second graphical representation 210 b.

Still referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the interaction indication 220, insome implementations, includes a location of an on-focus event triggeredon the first graphical representation 210 a. For example, the user 10may “hover” a mouse cursor over the graphical representation 210 a, ortouch the graphical representation 210 a using a touch display. Theinteraction indication 220 may also include a location of an inputselection event triggered on the first graphical representation 210 a(e.g., the user 10 “clicking” a computer mouse or pressing a computerkeyboard key).

A graphical representation such as a box-and-whisker plot 210 a, whendisplayed on the screen 116 of the user device 110, may progressivelydisplay more information through user interaction. For example, the userinteraction may be to “hover” a mouse cursor, tap a mouse button, tap atouch display, etc. This allows for faster loading and processing of thegraphical representation while simultaneously keeping the interfacesimple. The plots may use a variety of colors, patterns, and linethicknesses to further precisely and compactly communicate information.Data with less importance may be hidden or abstracted via symbol use,while important data may be emphasized. Additionally, the user 10 maycompare data easier and view data on a smaller screen than traditionalrepresentations would allow.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the user 10, in some implementations,interacts with a box-and-whisker plot 310 of view 300 a. As shown inFIG. 3A, plot 310 has interaction point 320 and interaction data 330,where the interaction data 330 is representative of the dataset 190 at alocation of the interaction point 320. The user 10 interacts withinteraction point 320 to change or update the interaction data 330. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 3B, the user 10 may “slide” (for example, withcursor 340) the interaction point along an axis of the plot 310 of view300 b and update the interaction data 330. The interaction data 330 mayinclude the value at extreme percentiles (e.g., 95%). FIGS. 4A and 4Bshow another example of the user 10 interacting with interaction point420 in views 400 a and 400 b to update interaction data 430 with adifferent format found in FIGS. 3A and 3B. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5Bwith views 500 a and 500 b, the interaction point 520 may be positionedat a point where interaction data 530 is updated to beyond the 95thpercentile (e.g., 99.9% as illustrated in FIG. 5B).

A graphical representation may progressively offer more information tothe user 10 based on interaction indications received from the user 10.For example, FIG. 6A shows an aggregate distribution in view 600 a,while FIG. 6B shows the same data set after the “OVER TIME” input isselected in view 600 b. Then, FIG. 6C shows the user 10 providing aninteraction indication 610 at interaction location 620 in view 600 c.The interaction data 630 then updates to reflect a value based upon thelocation of the interaction indication 610. The graphicalrepresentations can communicate data in a number of formats. Forexample, the view 600 d of FIG. 6D provides an alternate format to thegraphical representation in FIG. 6C that demonstrates how thedistribution of data changes over time by graphically indicating how thetwo inner quartiles (second and third quartiles) change over time. Theinner and outer quartiles may be differentiated in a number of ways(e.g., patterns, colors, etc.).

As an alternative or in addition to the curved density plot 210 billustrated in FIG. 2B, the schematic view 700 of FIG. 7 shows the dataprocessing hardware 112 displaying a density plot with a density chart710. The density chart 710 (including bars or rectangles) may bedisplayed as the result of receiving additional user interactionindications (e.g., a mouse click) or may be displayed in lieu of thecurved density plot 210 b. The bar chart 710 includes a number ofrectangles 720, 720 a-n, where each rectangle 720 may have differentwidths and heights, but all rectangles 720 may have the same area, suchthat each rectangle represents a normalized portion of the dataset 190.Similar to the box-and-whisker plots of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the schematicviews 800 a, 800 b of FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a box-and-whisker datadistribution 810 a (FIG. 8A) transforming into a density plot datadistribution 810 b (FIG. 8B) in response to user interaction 820.

Referring now to FIG. 9 , schematic view 900 illustrates auser-definable threshold 910 that may be represented by patterns (e.g.,hatching) or differing colors. The graphical representations may alsodisplay user-definable boundaries. The schematic view 1000 a of FIG. 10Aillustrates a density curve with no boundaries. The schematic view 1000b of FIG. 10B shows the user 10 defining a first boundary 1010 a withinteraction indication 1020 a. Interaction data 1030 updates withinformation pertaining to the first boundary 1010 a. The user 10 thendefines a second boundary 1010 b with second interaction indication 1020b as shown by the schematic view 1000 c of FIG. 10C. Accordingly, theinteraction data 1030 updates with additional data pertaining to thesecond boundary 1010 b. The user 10 may add the boundaries with the useof “handles,” similar to text selection on modern smart phones. Theschematic view 1100 of FIG. 11 shows example graphical representationsrepresenting the second and third quartiles. The quartiles may berepresented with various different styles. For example, the thickness,patterns, and/or colors of the lines may be added are adjusted by theuser as needed.

FIGS. 12A-12F illustrate a transition from a line to a curve on a graph.In the examples shown here, the graph expands on the Y axis only atfirst and then moves to the X axis so that there is continuity. FIG. 12Aprovides an example first graphical representation 210 a of a box andwhisker plot (without a box) of a dataset and accompanying text 212corresponding to a position of a whisker 214. FIG. 12B illustratesproviding visual feedback of a user interaction 220 at respectivelocation on the first graphical representation 210 a, which changes to asecond graphical representation 210 b at a corresponding crosshair 216(e.g., vertical line) as the first graphical representation 210 aexpands on the Y-axis only. FIG. 12C illustrates, after a delay, how thechart (the second graphical representation 210 b) automatically movesthe line 216 to the location of the user interaction 220 (e.g., hover,select (click), select and hold, etc.) and adjusts the textrepresentation 212 of the location of the user interaction 220. FIG. 12Dillustrates another user interaction 220 at a second location. In thiscase, however, the text representation 212 does not update and a newadded crosshair or line 216 continues to give the user feedback to showthat the system is not broken or frozen. FIG. 12E illustrates yetanother user interaction 220 at a third location where the chart (thesecond graphical representation 210 b) changes and the textrepresentation 212 changes accordingly as well. In FIG. 12F, the chart(the second graphical representation 210 b) includes a roughabbreviation (or approximation) of hotspot regions 18 a-e. A width W ofeach hotspot region 18 a-e may vary. The crosshair provides visualfeedback to the user to avoid confusion on how the graph functions.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example method 1300 for interactivelydisplaying a data distribution. The flowchart starts at operation 1302by displaying, by the data processing hardware 112, a first graphicalrepresentation 210 a on a screen 116 in communication with the dataprocessing hardware 112, wherein the first graphical representation 210a includes a box-and-whisker plot of a dataset. The first graphicalrepresentation 210 a may include an axis 240 a.

At operation 1304, the method 1300 includes receiving, at the dataprocessing hardware 112, a first interaction indication 220 indicating agraphical user interaction by a user 10 at a first interaction location203 on the first graphical representation 210 a. In some examples, thefirst interaction location 230 includes a location within a thresholddistance of the axis 240 a of the first graphical representation 210 a.Optionally, the first interaction indication 220 may include a locationof an on-focus event triggered on the first graphical representation 210a. The first interaction indication 220 may also include a location ofan input selection event triggered on the first graphical representation210 a. At operation 1306, the method 1300 includes, in response to thereceived first interactive indication 220, displaying, by the dataprocessing hardware 112, a second graphical representation 210 b on thescreen 116 based on the first interaction indication 230. The secondgraphical representation 210 b includes a density plot of the dataset190 that may have a respective scale equal to a corresponding scale ofthe box-and-whisker plot. In some examples, the density plot includes aplurality of rectangles 720, wherein each rectangle 720 a-n has anidentical area and each rectangle 720 a-n has a height and a width basedupon the dataset 190.

At operation 1308, the method 1300 includes receiving, at the dataprocessing hardware 112, a second interaction indication 260 indicatingthe graphical user interaction by the user 10 at a second interactionlocation 270 on the second graphical representation 210 b. In someimplementations, the second interaction indication 260 includes alocation of an on-focus event triggered on the second graphicalrepresentation 210 b. The second interaction location 270 may include alocation on the second graphical representation 210 b that is differentthan the first interaction location 230. Alternatively, the secondinteraction location 270 includes a location on the density plot and thedensity plot includes a graphical indication 250 of a data valuecorresponding to the second interaction location 270

At operation 1310, the method 1300 includes, in response to the receivedsecond interactive indication 260, displaying, by the data processinghardware 112, an updated second graphical representation 210 c of thedataset 190 on the screen 116 based on the second interaction indication260. In some implementations, the second graphical indication 210 bincludes a first graphical indication and the updated second graphicalrepresentation 210 c includes a second graphical indication that isdifferent than the first graphical indication.

In some examples, the method 1300 includes receiving, at the dataprocessing hardware 112, a third interaction indication indicating thegraphical user interaction at a third interaction location on the secondgraphical representation. In response to the received third interactionindication, the method 1300 includes displaying, by the data processinghardware 112, the first graphical representation 210 a on the screen119.

A software application (i.e., a software resource) may refer to computersoftware that causes a computing device to perform a task. In someexamples, a software application may be referred to as an “application,”an “app,” or a “program.” Example applications include, but are notlimited to, system diagnostic applications, system managementapplications, system maintenance applications, word processingapplications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, mediastreaming applications, social networking applications, and gamingapplications.

FIG. 14 is schematic view of an example computing device 1400 that maybe used to implement the systems and methods described in this document.The computing device 1400 is intended to represent various forms ofdigital computers, such as laptops, desktops, workstations, personaldigital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframes, and otherappropriate computers. The components shown here, their connections andrelationships, and their functions, are meant to be exemplary only, andare not meant to limit implementations of the inventions describedand/or claimed in this document.

The computing device 1400 includes a processor 1410, memory 1420, astorage device 1430, a high-speed interface/controller 1440 connectingto the memory 1420 and high-speed expansion ports 1450, and a low speedinterface/controller 1460 connecting to a low speed bus 1470 and astorage device 1430. Each of the components 1410, 1420, 1430, 1440,1450, and 1460, are interconnected using various busses, and may bemounted on a common motherboard or in other manners as appropriate. Theprocessor 1410 can process instructions for execution within thecomputing device 1400, including instructions stored in the memory 1420or on the storage device 1430 to display graphical information for agraphical user interface (GUI) on an external input/output device, suchas display 1480 coupled to high speed interface 1440. In otherimplementations, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may be used,as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory. Also,multiple computing devices 1400 may be connected, with each deviceproviding portions of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank,a group of blade servers, or a multi-processor system).

The memory 1420 stores information non-transitorily within the computingdevice 1400. The memory 1420 may be a computer-readable medium, avolatile memory unit(s), or non-volatile memory unit(s). Thenon-transitory memory 1420 may be physical devices used to storeprograms (e.g., sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program stateinformation) on a temporary or permanent basis for use by the computingdevice 1400. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are notlimited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM)/programmableread-only memory (PROM)/erasable programmable read-only memory(EPROM)/electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)(e.g., typically used for firmware, such as boot programs). Examples ofvolatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory(RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory(SRAM), phase change memory (PCM) as well as disks or tapes.

The storage device 1430 is capable of providing mass storage for thecomputing device 1400. In some implementations, the storage device 1430is a computer-readable medium. In various different implementations, thestorage device 1430 may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, anoptical disk device, or a tape device, a flash memory or other similarsolid state memory device, or an array of devices, including devices ina storage area network or other configurations. In additionalimplementations, a computer program product is tangibly embodied in aninformation carrier. The computer program product contains instructionsthat, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as thosedescribed above. The information carrier is a computer- ormachine-readable medium, such as the memory 1420, the storage device1430, or memory on processor 1410.

The high speed controller 1440 manages bandwidth-intensive operationsfor the computing device 1400, while the low speed controller 1460manages lower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation of dutiesis exemplary only. In some implementations, the high-speed controller1440 is coupled to the memory 1420, the display 1480 (e.g., through agraphics processor or accelerator), and to the high-speed expansionports 1450, which may accept various expansion cards (not shown). Insome implementations, the low-speed controller 1460 is coupled to thestorage device 1430 and a low-speed expansion port 1490. The low-speedexpansion port 1490, which may include various communication ports(e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet), may be coupled toone or more input/output devices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device,a scanner, or a networking device such as a switch or router, e.g.,through a network adapter.

The computing device 1400 may be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as astandard server 1400 a or multiple times in a group of such servers 1400a, as a laptop computer 1400 b, or as part of a rack server system 1400c.

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described hereincan be realized in digital electronic and/or optical circuitry,integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (application specificintegrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/orcombinations thereof. These various implementations can includeimplementation in one or more computer programs that are executableand/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least oneprogrammable processor, which may be special or general purpose, coupledto receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data andinstructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and atleast one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications or code) include machine instructions for a programmableprocessor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/orobject-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machinelanguage. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” and“computer-readable medium” refer to any computer program product,non-transitory computer readable medium, apparatus and/or device (e.g.,magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices(PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and/or data to aprogrammable processor, including a machine-readable medium thatreceives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term“machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machineinstructions and/or data to a programmable processor.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors, also referred to asdata processing hardware, executing one or more computer programs toperform functions by operating on input data and generating output. Theprocesses and logic flows can also be performed by special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit). Processors suitable for theexecution of a computer program include, by way of example, both generaland special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors ofany kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receiveinstructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memoryor both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor forperforming instructions and one or more memory devices for storinginstructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or beoperatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both,one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic,magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need nothave such devices. Computer readable media suitable for storing computerprogram instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory,media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductormemory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magneticdisks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto opticaldisks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can besupplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, one or more aspects of thedisclosure can be implemented on a computer having a display device,e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, ortouch screen for displaying information to the user and optionally akeyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by whichthe user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices canbe used to provide interaction with a user as well; for example,feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g.,visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input fromthe user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, ortactile input. In addition, a computer can interact with a user bysending documents to and receiving documents from a device that is usedby the user; for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on auser's client device in response to requests received from the webbrowser.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method executed by dataprocessing hardware that causes the data processing hardware to performoperations comprising: displaying, via a graphical user interface (GUI),a first graphical representation of a dataset on a display screen incommunication with the data processing hardware, the first graphicalrepresentation representing a statistical summary of the dataset;receiving, via the GUI, an indication of a user interaction; and inresponse to the received indication of the user interaction, displaying,via the GUI, a second graphical representation of the dataset on thedisplay screen, the second graphical representation representing aplurality of statistical summaries of the dataset, each respectivestatistical summary of the plurality of statistical summaries computedfor a respective time period of a plurality of time periods.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second graphicalrepresentation comprises: a first line representing a plot of aplurality of medians of the dataset for respective ones of the pluralityof time periods of the dataset; and a second line representing a plot ofa plurality of quartiles of the dataset for respective ones of theplurality of time periods of the dataset.
 3. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the statistical summary of the datasetrepresents at least one of a median, a first quartile, a secondquartile, a third quartile, or a fourth quartile of the dataset.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the statistical summaryof the first graphical representation is depicted using a firstorientation and the plurality of statistical summaries of the secondgraphical representation are depicted using a second orientationdifferent from the first orientation.
 5. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the first graphical representation comprises abox-and-whiskers plot.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the second graphical representation depicts how statistics ofthe dataset vary with time.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving, via the GUI, anindication of a second user interaction at an interaction location onthe second graphical representation; and in response to the receivedindication of the second user interaction at the interaction location onthe second graphical representation, identifying, via the GUI, the timeperiod of the plurality of time periods that is associated with theinteraction location.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7,wherein the operations further comprise, in response to the receivedindication of the second user interaction at the interaction location onthe second graphical representation, identifying, via the GUI, astatistical characteristic of the dataset for the time period of theplurality of time periods associated with the interaction location. 9.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user interactionis at a location on the first graphical representation.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user interactioncomprises a selection of an element of the GUI.
 11. A system comprising:data processing hardware; and memory hardware in communication with thedata processing hardware, the memory hardware storing instructions thatwhen executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processinghardware to perform operations comprising: displaying, via a graphicaluser interface (GUI), a first graphical representation of a dataset on adisplay screen in communication with the data processing hardware, thefirst graphical representation representing a statistical summary of thedataset; receiving, via the GUI, an indication of a user interaction;and in response to the received indication of the user interaction,displaying, via the GUI, a second graphical representation of thedataset on the display screen, the second graphical representationrepresenting a plurality of statistical summaries of the dataset, eachrespective statistical summary of the plurality of statistical summariescomputed for a respective time period of a plurality of time periods.12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second graphical representationcomprises: a first line representing a plot of a plurality of medians ofthe dataset for respective ones of the plurality of time periods of thedataset; and a second line representing a plot of a plurality ofquartiles of the dataset for respective ones of the plurality of timeperiods of the dataset.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein thestatistical summary of the dataset represents at least one of a median,a first quartile, a second quartile, a third quartile, or a fourthquartile of the dataset.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein thestatistical summary of the first graphical representation is depictedusing a first orientation different and the plurality of statisticalsummaries of the second graphical representation are depicted using asecond orientation different from the first orientation.
 15. The systemof claim 11, wherein the first graphical representation comprises abox-and-whiskers plot.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the secondgraphical representation depicts how statistics of the dataset vary withtime.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations furthercomprise: receiving, via the GUI, an indication of a second userinteraction at an interaction location on the second graphicalrepresentation; and in response to the received indication of the seconduser interaction at the interaction location on the second graphicalrepresentation, identifying, via the GUI, the time period of theplurality of time periods that is associated with the interactionlocation.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations furthercomprise, in response to the received indication of the second userinteraction at the interaction location on the second graphicalrepresentation, identifying, via the GUI, a statistical characteristicof the dataset for the time period of the plurality of time periodsassociated with the interaction location.
 19. The system of claim 11,wherein the user interaction is at a location on the first graphicalrepresentation.
 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the user interactioncomprises a selection of an element of the GUI.